Country music star Trace Adkins takes pride from ceremony in Shanksville, Pa.

Country music star Trace Adkins has sung the national anthem at too many events for him to count.

Nothing prepared him for the way he would feel delivering “The Star-Spangled Banner” this past Sept. 11 in Shanksville, Pa., at the annual ceremony to honor the 40 people who lost their lives when United Flight 93 crashed into a field there.

“I was standing at the podium and the family members (of those who died) were all standing directly in front,” Adkins said during a phone interview later that day. “Today the lyrics hit me a little harder and took on a deeper meaning. I was so honored to be there.”

Adkins says the ceremony taught him a thing or two about resiliency. After he sang, Adkins mixed with the family members. Some asked him to sign autographs.

“It’s nice to know that time does provide some comfort,” he says. “They were able to smile and say thanks for being there. We had a few laughs. It was a nice event and it was a great day and I was proud to be there.”

When Adkins performs Thursday at the Turning Stone Resort and Casino Event Center in Verona, country music fans will get to share in the lessons he’s learned in the dozen years that have passed since the 6-foot-6 native of Springhill, La., released his first No. 1 single, “(This Ain’t No) Thinkin’ Thing.”

Adkins’ career has thrived long enough for him to title his latest studio CD “X.” (Although counting greatest hits and a live package, the November release was actually Adkins’ 13th.)

Yes, he’s wiser. And, he thinks, a better musician for it.

“With each album I make, I think I grow a little,” Adkins says. “I know I get more comfortable in the studio. And the more comfortable and at ease you are, it allows the creativity to flow a little easier.”

That creativity surfaced in an album that adds gospel, blues and Southern rock touches to his solid country foundation.

“There’s a gospel song on there, an R&B song, a funny and silly song, uptempo rock stuff, very somber stuff. There’s a song that’s very sparse that’s just my vocal and piano,” Adkins says. “I think I got a little closer this time to trying to cover the whole spectrum a little bit.” Adkins says that depth and breadth are a tribute to his admiration for Ronnie Milsap, who’s long added soul flavor to his country.

Two months ago, Adkins got the chance to perform in the studio with Milsap, whose hit singles “It Was Almost Like a Song,” “Smokey Mountain Rain,” “(There’s) No Gettin’ Over Me,” “I Wouldn’t Have Missed It for the World,” “Any Day Now” and “Stranger in My House” all crossed over from the country charts into the top 25 of the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

“That was a huge honor for me. It was an album to benefit the Fraternal Order of Police. He called me and asked me to sing with him. I didn’t need to ask where it was going to come out or why he wanted me. I just said yes,” Adkins said.

That wasn’t the only country music mash-up Adkins has experienced this summer.

He’s been part of the America’s Toughest Tour with Toby Keith. Every night, Keith invited Adkins on stage to sing Keith’s hit “Courtesy of the Red, White & Blue (The Angry American)” with him.

So, what is Adkins angry about, and what does he need to be tough about?

“You know what? I don’t waste my time being angry about anything,” he says, allowing a chuckle to creep into his oh-so-deep voice. “I get frustrated like anybody else does, but it seldom turns to anger. When it does, I try to quell it. Life is too short to be (hacked) off.

“And toughest about? Suitors. Guys coming to the door to take my little daughters out. I ought to be tougher to them,” he says.

Adkins has five daughters. His 24-year-old is married, he says, and his 21-year-old is “pretty mature, too.” He adds that his 11-year-old is “about to blossom into a beautiful new lady,” and that there’s already a youngster showing interest in his 4-year-old. America met his 8-year-old, Brianna, on Donald Trump’s “Celebrity Apprentice.”

Some TV viewers would say Adkins was plenty tough two TV seasons ago, when he placed second to British actor Piers Morgan in “Apprentice” on NBC.

“I was shocked when Piers spoke his piece and said Joan ought to win, too,” Adkins says. “After the show ended, I went up to him and said, ‘Who are you and what did you do with Piers Morgan?’”

This season, Adkins will step further into the shine of pop culture celebrity, helping rebuild a home on ABC’s “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.”

“There’s so much of an unselfish air with that whole group,” he says of host Ty Pennington and his makeover crew. “I think the work they’re doing is noble. The ‘Celebrity Apprentice’ gets a little dramatic.”

The details What: Trace Adkins in concert. Julianne Hough opens. When: 8 p.m. Thursday. Where: Turning Stone Resort and Casino Event Center, Verona. Tickets: $65, available at the Event Center box office, Ticketmaster outlets, ticketmaster.com, and by phone charge at 877-833-7469. A concert ticket also will get a free ticket to this weekend’s Turning Stone Resort Championship golf tournament if presented at the Showroom or Event Center box office on or before Tuesday.